


Come To Me In The Midnight Hours

by athousandblankfaces



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:42:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28937952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athousandblankfaces/pseuds/athousandblankfaces
Summary: This open heart fandom will focus on the idea of the main character and Ethan going separate ways. I got the idea from the fact that you could romance everyone in the story, and what would happen if Ethan found out the main character was also with Bryce and Rafael after he slept with the main character. Don't worry, everyone will end up happy and with someone. But this will cover that path and as a result it will diverge greatly from where the original story goes.
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart), Ethan Ramsey/Original Female Character(s), Rafael Aveiro/Original Character(s)





	Come To Me In The Midnight Hours

The Boston winter air was biting into Ethan’s skin as he drank his coffee in the park.

All he was trying to do was clear his mind after last night. Walking in on Cassie with Lahela in the bathroom together at Donahue’s only days after they had slept together was jarring. It had been so long since he had been with someone, been vulnerable with someone, and while he was thrilled that his dear mentor was doing better thanks to Cassie, the image of her with someone else stung him in a way he wasn’t ready for. So, here he was, a black coffee in hand, taking a stroll through the park. Soon, he was sitting down on a bench watching people skate along the frozen over lake.

As he watched the figures weave around, people hand in hand, his mind wandered back to Donahue’s and heading to the bathroom...opening the door. Lahela had her lifted on the sink, her legs spread and wrapped around him. His hands were grabbing at her and Ethan had heard her moans that had so quickly become so familiar. He had stood there dumbfounded, and all he could think to do was apologize for interrupting. The two jumped apart, and Cassie stared at him with those almond shaped honey-colored eyes, her red hair mussed from where his hands just were.

Ethan left. He took the bottle of scotch he was drinking and tucked it under his jacket.

By the time he had made it home, he had ten plus missed calls from Cassie. He wouldn’t answer the phone, couldn’t speak to her. Soon she texted him to say one thing: Ethan, I’m sorry you saw that. Please call me back. She was sorry that he saw that, not that she did it. That’s how he interpreted that. So, instead, he didn’t call her back and he called in sick on only his third day back after his promotion to head of the diagnostics team. After being home for a few hours into the morning, he decided to get out and try to clear his head.

That led to where he was now, in the park, drinking lukewarm coffee, and watching people skating on the ice. It had been so long since he had gone skating.

It was at that moment that he watched as a rather small child skating in a circle while their parents filmed suddenly crashed through the ice. The mother let out a scream and Ethan took off halfway running across the ice. Someone beat him to the scene though as he watched a figure skate towards the water that was newly exposed as everyone slowly backed away. This girl threw off her skates and was in the water without a second glance.

Ethan came to a stop near the opening the kid made and waited. The two weren’t resurfacing. Then, suddenly, the kid was pushed up and Ethan was scooping the little boy from the water. There was no way he was more than six. Ethan instantly began to remove his coat to try and insulate some of the heat around the boy, the parents hesitant to run forward because of the structural weakness in the ice.

Satisfied that the boy would be okay, Ethan turned to help the stranger that lept in to help out of the water and he realized she wasn’t there. He saw the water churning softly beneath. The river was small enough, but the current could have pulled her back down.

Ethan looked in the direction of the current and followed the path of the ice, pushing people out of the way as he searched for the stranger, feeling anxious at the thought of not be able to find her.

Suddenly, he spotted hands on the underside of the ice a little ways down and Ethan began to look for something to break the ice with until quickly he realized the only option immediately available. Grimacing, he began to hit the ice with his gloved hand, feeling the force damage his hand. As he felt the pain swelling, he pushed his instincts to stop down and kept at it until the ice broke and gave way.

Hands shot up and Ethan pulled the woman to safety, her body splayed out on the ice, her body not moving. Quickly, Ethan began administering first aid, pressing his lips to her own that were cold and tinted blue, feeling her thready pulse in between. Water soon escaped her but she was weak. Ethan scooped her up and carried her to the bank where the parents had brought the boy already.

By the time he got her there, EMS was already called for and on their way. They got there quickly and as they tended to the boy the parents handed Ethan his jacket back. Ethan opted to take the ambulance with the woman. He couldn’t explain it, but he didn’t want to leave her alone. Not until they knew who to call or if there was anyone she wanted with her. Rafael immediately let him ride along, no questions asked. They quickly loaded her up, and began to try and combat the hypothermia that was almost immediately settling in. Ethan diverted his eyes as the paramedics stripped her of her wet clothing and covered her up, beginning active core rewarming as they realized her body was not automatically shivering anymore, her temperature regulation no longer responding.

The ambulance made it to Edenbrook in record time, the doors slamming open and Rafael and the others unloading the mystery girl, Ethan getting out behind her.

His eyes met warm almond shaped eyes framed by fiery red hair. Of course it was Cassie’s turn to do rotations this morning in the ER. Ethan swallowed the bitterness he tasted before speaking up to explain what happened at the park, Cassie rolling the woman into the nearest bay to continue active core rewarming. Ethan watched as they disappeared before he looked down at his own hand.

Gingerly, he removed the glove to see some of his fingers were angry and swollen, discoloring kicking in. There was no doubt in Ethan’s mind. He broke a few somethings. Immediately, Ethan walked over to xray to get the process started, asking the xray tech to page Naveen.

By the time Naveen was done with his hand, which was sporting three broken bones and quite a few small lacerations, Ethan thought that the girl might be in stable condition. He walked towards the nurse’s sation to figure out what was going on with his patient, Cassie’s patient, the woman he had pulled out of the icy water just earlier.

Soon, Ethan was outside the woman’s door, watching her in her bed, not moving as the IV administered warm liquids to help heat her organs back to a safe temperature. Stepping inside the room he sat down in the chair at the foot of her bed. He heard someone come to a stop by the door and looked up in time to see Cassie. She seemed to be debating turning around and coming back later, but Ethan spoke up, “I’m not going anywhere till she wakes up, rookie. Might as well do what you need to do now. Besides, regardless of what happened, we still need to work together. Besides, a choice was made. We both get to live with it. So go on, check her vitals.”

Cassie made quick work before leaving the room, lingering at the door and deciding not to say what she was thinking. Ethan got as comfortable as he could and waited.

About three hours passed and Ethan saw her fingers begin to move. Glancing up at her face, he watched her eyes open, confusion settling in. The first thing he took notice of was how beautiful her eyes were. They were a deep, dark blue. Though in her right eye a touch of heterochromia was present, the other half of it a bright green. Her eyes settled on him, and he could see a smile beneath the fogged mask that was feeding her warm oxygen. Ethan smiled back at her and spoke softly, using his best bedside manners possible, “You dove into freezing waters to pull a little boy out. He is going to be fine. I managed to grab him when you pushed him up. The current got the best of you, however, and you were pulled further down. I broke the ice to get to you, but it took a moment. I'm going to remove the oxygen mask, but I need you to tell me if anything feels off when I do, okay?”

She nodded, and Ethan carefully removed the mask from her. As he set it down and turned off the oxygen supply to it, Ethan pulled the chair closer to her bedside and sat down once again, his blue eyes searching her own stunning ones, “My name is Ethan Ramsey. I’m an attending here at Edenbrook. Could you tell me your name, miss?”

“My name...” Ethan noticed her voice was soft and sweet, “...is Ruby Lefevre. My mother is probably wondering where I am. I was supposed to meet with her to surprise my father for his birthday. Judging by the lack of sunlight in the window, it has been a few hours. I was supposed to meet with her at 5. Can I use your phone to call her?”

Ethan nodded, unlocking his phone and handing it to her. As she waited for her mother to pick up, Ethan heard a woman’s voice on the other end answering frantically. Much to his surprise, Ethan heard Ruby greet her in fluent and easy going Spanish. Ethan gave her a bit of space, going to just outside of the room, where much to his surprise Cassie was standing. She had a look of surprise on her face, looking at her own phone and then back towards Ethan. She could tell his nerves were bristling at the lack of speech, so she ended her own delay, “Ethan, do you know who you pulled out of the river?”

“She just told me her name is Ruby Lefevre. Should I know who that is?”

Cassie rolled her eyes and hit his arm playfully. The familiarity of it caught him off guard and he smiled briefly, before it disapeared again. Cassie scoffed, “Do you really not know who the Lefevres are?”

She pulled his attention to her phone, which showed multiple magazine covers with a man and woman, Esperanza and Luis Lefevre. Then, scrolling again, he stopped on a photo of Ruby. It was clearly a gala of some type, the information below the photo giving her name and the title philanthropist. He also simply didn’t realize exactly what she looked like just from the hospital gown.

Cassie pulled her phone back as Naveen walked up, an arm going around Ethan’s shoulders, “Ethan, I know you may not like to hear this, but you pulled someone out of the river worth billions of dollars. I don’t think I need to tell you just what that could mean for us, for the hospital.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

Ethan grimaced as the realization set in.

“Naveen, I’m not going to pander for the hope that they give us money.”

“I’m not asking you to Ethan. Just don’t shut down, either.”

At that moment, he heard Ruby call out, “Ethan? I’ve finished my phone call if you want your phone back.” Naveen gave him a half hearted smile. Cassie just handed over the chart to him, silently signifying that it was his case now, before turning and walking down the hall. Ethan glanced over the chart in full before heading back inside. Ruby smiled weakly at him before extending her hand, phone offered.

When he took it, his fingertips brushed against her wrist. He noticed very quickly how soft her skin was, but also, how it still felt a few degrees lower than it should. Sliding the phone in his back pocket, Ethan dat down once again with her chart open in front of him, scribbling down the missing information, her name included. She smiled weakly, “My mother is on her way. For better or worse. But, I know she mentioned wanting to speak with you.” As she readjusted in the bed, he found himself glancing at her hands, looking for some sign of what type of person she was. It was a hard trait to turn off, always observing, never quite speaking. He noticed there was no ring, her hands were kept and clean but no nail polish or exaggerated false nails, a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

“Look, Ruby, I have to be honest, you should be able to go home in the next hour or so. However, if we do, I need you to make sure you stay indoors for a bit, get plenty of rest, stay warm.” Ethan couldn’t help but smile as she smiled, a sensation that took him a bit off guard. What she said next though? His face looked as taken aback as he felt in the moment.

“When I am discharged, would I be able to contact you directly, if something were to go wrong?”

His pen hovered over the paper, a feeling of uncertainty hanging in the air. His blue eyes glanced from the paper to her, quickly moving back to the chart, “I don’t know if I am allowed to have you contact me, Ruby. It is simply not professional of me.”

“It isn’t professional of you to respond to a house call on a patient you saw if something were to go wrong after being released from your care?” Ethan could feel a bit of heat on his cheeks from embarrassment. Could he have taken that the wrong way? What if she was just wanting to make sure if something were to go wrong, he could be reached? He looked up to apologize to her. Ethan saw a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. The way he interpreted her question was correct.

He was about to answer when the woman he saw on the covers of the magazines on Cassie’s phone burst into the door, letting out an exclamation in Spanish at the sight of Ruby. Rub’s mother had managed to interrupt and save Ethan from answering her question, one way or the other. He slipped out of the room to give them some space.

Saved by the frantic mother, he thought to himself.


End file.
